Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Nepal on Friday on a two-day state visit. In a statement released on Thursday, Modi said the visit “reflects the high priority India, and personally I, attach to our age-old, close and friendly ties with Nepal,” and “my government’s commitment to the ‘neighbourhood first’ policy.”
Briefing the Nepal parliament on Thursday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said that In Janakpur, Modi will be received by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, and after a darshan at the Janaki Mandir, he will attend a civic reception hosted by the mayor of Janakpur. The two prime ministers will then jointly inaugurate the Janakpur-Ayodhya direct bus service, which will put Janakpur on the Ramayana tourist circuit.
In the afternoon, he will go to Kathmandu, where, after a brief meeting with Gyawali, he will attend a ceremonial reception. After paying courtesy calls on President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Modi will hold bilateral talks with Oli. The two premiers will remotely inaugurate the 900 MW Arun-III hydropower project, the largest such project in Nepal, with an investment of `6,000 crore. He will then attend a formal dinner banquet hosted in his honour by Oli.
On Saturday morning, he will fly to Muktinath, where he will offer prayers and then return to Kathmandu, where he will visit the Pashupatinath temple before meeting opposition leaders. He will also attend a civic reception hosted by the mayor of Kathmandu before returning to Delhi.
Indian officials said that no agreements would be signed during the visit, which would focus more on ensuring that implementation of earlier agreements is expedited.
